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Chapter 15: Citadel Ghirlandaio (Pt.1)
Citadel Chirlandaio (Pt.1), also known as "Siege of Ghirlandaio", is the first half of the fifteenth chapter of Valkyria Chronicles. The combat mission in this part is called Fight for Ghirlandaio. Medium Tank x 3 Heavy Gatling x 2 Cannon Bunker x 2 Gatling Bunker x 2 | officers = Shocktrooper Leader x 2 Sniper Leader x 1 | aces = Oswald the Steel Matz the Cleaner | ace drop = ZM Kar 5(g) Edelweiss' Firing Calculator }} Story Having pushed the Imperial army back toward the border, the Gallian forces were preparing to launch an attack on the fortress at Ghirlandaio to remove any remaining Imperial presence there. General Damon knowingly passed the most dangerous part of the operation to the militia, giving them the suicidal mission of clearing a path for the explosive-laden train that was set to charge straight into the main gates of Ghirlandaio. Many soldiers, tanks, and bunkers stood guarding the Imperial army's last hold on Gallian soil. Every weapon available was poised to stop the militia from completing their mission. While preparing for the coming mission, Largo stood before Welkin as a representative of Squad 7 to ask him if he intended to use Alicia's Valkyria Power. Welkin flatly refused to use her powers, which seemed to satisfy the members of Squad 7. In hopes of giving Alicia the encouragement she needed, they sent Welkin to her side. Alicia was struggling with the truth of what had happened to her, the imploring gazes from the people around her who were convinced that she was their savior, and her own feelings regarding the entire matter. Unable to find an answer to all of the questions filling her heart and mind, Alicia sought comfort in Welkin's arms. Meanwhile, Maximilian and his remaining generals were still within the walls of Ghirlandaio, though their morale had taken a considerable hit after the defeat at Naggiar. Hoping to redeem herself, Selvaria begged Maximilian for another opportunity to prove her worth. Maximilian's emotionless reply was that Selvaria's final orders were to use her "Final Flame" to destroy the Gallian forces that arrived at Ghirlandaio. Selvaria was at a loss for words, knowing what this order meant for her. Maximilian then left Ghirlandoio with Jaeger in order to make his own final preparations. Topography This is a fairly large map with multiple ways of attacking the Ghirlandaio stronghold. The main goal is to activate the three railway switches (circled in red on the map), which will then allow the Gallian forces to send a payload of explosives to the main gate, blasting a path through. The map can be essentially split into three distinct sections. The starting Gallian base in the South has three paths, all of which eventually meet back up at the first railway switch. Each of these paths are slightly different from each other, but certain paths allow for better attack angles on the enemy base that surrounds the first railway switch. A gatling turrent, troops, and a tank are positioned to hold the base. At this first enemy base are also two sniper towers which can be used later in the battle. The second section of the map also has three paths, although one of the paths is essentially impassable with the myriad of anti-personnel and anti-tank mines that cover the ground. This leaves the East and West pathways, which both circle around and meet back at the second railway switch and second enemy base. Both East and West paths lead into a short series of trenches which head towards the switch and enemy base. The base is defended by multiple tanks (including the enemy Ace, Matz the Cleaner), another gatling turrent, and more enemy troops. The third and final section lies beyond an intermediate gate, with pathways from the East and West sides. Both paths again meet back at the third railway switch, and each side has their own enemy base. On the top of the main gate are two cannon bunkers and two gatling bunks. The cannon bunkers will fire mortar rounds throughout the battle, while the gatling bunkers will fire at the Gallian forces as they move towards the final switch. Here is your mission brief "The enemy is braced and waiting for our attack on the citadel at Ghirlandaio. Before we can storm the place, we need to pry off the lid. We'll blow in the front gates. The plan, as it stands, is to roll a car loaded down with explosives up to the gates and detonate it. Your objective is to trip the three switches located along the rail. The switches' locations are as you see here. You'll just have to push your way forward and hit each one in turn as you go. To activate each switch, approach it in Action Mode and press the OK button. Nice and easy. They'll be bearing down on you with the citadel's cannons, among other things. I also advice you to watch for mines. It's time to put everything you've learned in your missions so far to work on kicking these Imps out of Gallia for good." Mission objectives Victory *All three switches are activated Failure *Welkin dies *The enemy occupies Gallia's base camp *All ally soldiers and reserves are killed *20 turns pass 'If there is no questions, let's get started. I wish you good luck and happy hunting." Strategy *Before the mission starts ensure that you have visited the Headquarters and spent the Exp and Ducats earned in the previous mission and equip your troops and armoured vehicles with the latest weapons and upgrades. *Be careful throughout the map as there are a large number of anti-personnel and anti-tank landmines spread throughout the tall grass and on many of the paths leading to the switches. *Since there is a lot of ground to cover, Scouts and the Shamrock will be handling most of the work. Shocktroopers have limited usage, but can be useful for clearing enemies from tall grass or killing enemies crouched around the bases. A sniper can optionally be called in after you have taken over the first enemy base, as the sniper towers will allow you to take care of incoming troops and the sniper leader standing on top near the cannon bunkers. *''First Railway Switch'' **Using the Shamrock, you have two options: *** Navigate the Eastern path so that you can take out the tank at the enemy base (Safe method), or *** Navigate the Central path by running over the enemy Shocktrooper (this will also turn his back towards the rest of the party, as well as destroy his crouching cover position) and shooting the Gatling Turret. (Speed method). From here, a Scout can easily reach the first Railway Switch without taking any damage, if they also kill the (now vulnerable) Shocktrooper on the way. **After destroying the tank, use either Scouts or Shocktroopers to move through the Western path. This path has tall grass which hides an enemy Scout, so use a flamethrower or grenades to kill him. Once cleared, use either a Lancer (through the West path) or use the Edelweiss to pushing straight forward to take out the Gatling Turret. *''Second Railway Switch'' **Both the East and West paths are about equal in terms of enemy number and placement. The only real danger of only clearing one side is that enemies from the other path may start to flank your troops as they take over the enemy base. **Using your Lancer or the Shamrock, take out one or both of the enemy tanks situated around the hills. Assuming the enemy tanks haven't spotted your advancing troops, it should be relatively easy to sneak behind and take shots at their radiators. Also, the tank on the East side is Matz the Cleaner, who will drop the Edelweiss' Firing Calculator once he is killed. He can be critically killed by a Lancer who reaches the eastern tower, or from an eastern approach since he is facing west. **Using Scouts and/or Shocktroopers, clear out the trenches and the enemy troops surrounding the railway switch. Be careful inside the trenches as the enemy Shocktroopers hide behind blind corners and can quickly kill your characters with their interception fire due to their close range. ** If a Lancer or the Shamrock can kill the right Gatling turret and a sniper can take out the left Trooper near the switch, an Engineer can simply clear a path through the minefield and activate it the switch. You can also have a Lancer bunny-hop on the mines, taking minimal damage and saving yourself the trouble and CP of employing the Engineer. ** By far the fastest way of flipping the second switch is to actually flip''' the third switch''' beforehand, which also opens the main gate and gives you a shortcut to the second switch. Pay close attention to the direction that the Trooper is facing near the second switch; he's facing the gate and it may be worth using a sniper to kill or distract him. (The Gatling turret is already facing southward, away from the gate.) *''Third Railway Switch'' **If you are taking the East path, you can kill the other enemy ace Oswald the Steel who is hiding in the tall grass patch next to the castle walls. Killing him will give you access to the ZM Kar 5(g). This weapon can be incredibly useful in the next battle if you are trying to clear it as quickly as possible. **Moving in from the East side is easier than the West, as the tank's radiator is immediately visible from this side. Push forward with the Shamrock and take out the tank and the Shocktrooper crouched behind the sandbags near the final switch. **The Gatling Bunkers will be firing down at your troops as they try to approach the railway switch. Take one of your healthiest Scouts (or Alicia, since she has many Potentials which boost her defensive stats) and give them the Defense Boost and/or Caution Orders. Make a dash for the final railway switch. Unlike Occupying a base (which requires all enemies cleared out), a railway switch has no such precondition and can be activated regardless of nearby enemies. *** Alternatively, capturing one of the camps at the base of the wall can allow you to call in an Elite Shocktrooper who, with 4-6 CP's, can take down the Gatling Bunkers with a flamethrower, leaving a clear path to the final switch. ** If you have a Scout with Double Movement and Resist Crossfire (Alicia or Aika) with Activate Potential orders, you can reach the third switch on Turn 1. By doing so, you also open the shortcut to the second switch, which means you can conceivably complete the entire mission with a single Scout by flipping the 1st, 3rd, then 2nd switches. In fact, you will have so much CP left over that a Caution order can be placed on the Scout to deal with the Gatling Bunkers if Resist Crossfire does not, for some reason, activate. Killing Matz the Cleaner for his (very valuable) tank mod requires a minimum of 3 CP to place a Lancer into position, so take this into account if you are attempting a Turn 1 win. Rewards Aftermath See: Chapter 15: Citadel Ghirlandaio (Pt.2). Notes/Trivia Category:Valkyria Chronicles Category:Valkyria Chronicles Missions